Where it comes from
Gounod set this melody over Bach's first Prelude from the Well-Tempered Clavier; it began as a vocal piece.
Gounod: Ave Maria
C major · 4/4 · 365 bars
Score
- Level
- Intermediate
- Key
- C major · no sharps or flats
- Time
- 4/4
- Bars
- 365
- Range
- C2 – E6
- Fingering
- marked
Member
Members only
The first 4 bars are free. Subscribe to see the full score, play it and export the PDF.
How to practise this piece
Take it at 64 BPM first, then move up to 80 once the notes sit under your fingers.
What this piece trains
A long singing line: at crotchet equals 80 a phrase can run for several bars.
Where it usually goes wrong
The sound fades late in a phrase, or pressure is added to compensate and the tone tightens.
Does it need shifting?
Range C2–E6; the top notes go beyond comfortable first position, so expect shifting or an extension.
Practice steps
- Learn phrase by phrase with no bow stop inside a phrase.
- Test bow speed on one long note: if the volume holds from frog to tip, the speed is right.